Originally written in Middle English by an unknown mystic of the 14th century, THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING represents the first expression in our own tongue of the soul's quest for God. A literary work of great beauty in both its style and its message, it offers a practical guide in the path of contemplation. The author explains how all thoughts and concepts must be buried beneath a "cloud of forgetting," while our love must rise toward God hidden in the "cloud of unknowing." Father William Johnston-an authority on 14th century spirituality and, in particular, on the writings of this unknown author-provides a lengthy Introduction detailing what is known about the background of THE CLOUD and its relevance throughout the ages. Also included in this Image edition is the same author’s other principal work, THE BOOK OF PRIVY COUNSELING - a short but moving treatise on the way to "enlightenment" through a total loss of "self" and consciousness only of the being of God. Together they offer an enduring guide to spiritual perfection - all in contemporary language for contemporary man.